Facts about fiber
1982
Liebman, Bonnie
The characteristics and benefits of dietary fiber are discussed. Crude fiber in foods can be determined by treating a food with acids, alkali, water, alcohol, and ether, and crude fiber content is listed on many food lables. Dietary fiber levels may range from 1-35 times greater than crude fiber levels and is part of food not enzymatically digested in the small intestine. Dietary fiber that is insoluble in hot water (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin) comes from plant cell walls found in whole grains and beans. Insoluble fiber speeds food movement through the digestive tract, increases fecal bulk, enhancing regularity which may in turn decrease digestive disease incidence. Dietary fiber soluble in hot water form intestinal gels that slow nutrient absorption, a benefit to diabetics requiring slow carbohydrate influx. Soluble fibers also lower blood cholesterol, causing a decrease in undesirable low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and an increase in desirable high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
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